Telephony and text messaging is becoming increasingly widespread. In addition to fixed location communication systems, mobile communication devices allow users to remain in near continual communication throughout his/her daily life. Many devices, such as mobile telephone communication devices, may additionally permit textual communication, such as “text messaging” (TM) or “instant messaging” (IM), which may further ease user communication.
While increased communication connectivity is beneficial, unwanted interruptions may intrude on a user's daily life. For example, a user may wish to avoid certain types of communications such as, sales calls; text messages for goods or services; adult content; calls or messages which are of a dubious nature (i.e., known or suspected scams) or may result in a fee (a “900” number or a fee based IM). In other situations, a user may be hesitant to communicate with an unknown party.
Limited information exists to avoid unwanted communications or be aware of a communicant's status. A prime example of this problem is a telephone call which is received during dinnertime. Even if the user subscribes to “caller id,” which provides the user with the telephone number associated with the communication, this information may be of limited use in deciding whether to “pickup” or complete the call. Additionally, persons attempting to defraud a user may implement a variety of techniques to avoid revealing his/her identity. A party attempting to implement a telephone scam may use numerous telephone numbers and aliases to minimize detection.
As a result, a user may be hesitant to communicate with an inbound call or other communication because he/she is not sure if the other party is legitimate. For instance, a caller may ask to call back a credit card company, at the phone number provided on the credit card, rather than risk divulging information to a party establishing an inbound communication.
Outbound communications are also subject to similar problems. Some users may avoid contacting legitimate businesses/institutions in an attempt to avoid being defrauded. The foregoing situation may be exemplified by senior citizens and other portions of the population which are increasingly the targets of fraudulent communications. For instance, a 3rd party may attempt to establish a “phony” toll-free number to lure unsuspecting users into divulging financial or personal information which is subsequently used in a fraudulent manner. Other forms of communication, such as mail solicitation, television commercials, may be implemented in order to direct users to contact these phony numbers.